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Entry tags:
FAQ
frequently asked questions
⋆ THISAVROU ⋆
• Where are they?
• Why are they there?
• What happens when characters first arrive?
• What is Thisavrou like?
• Are characters alive or dead?
• Can characters leave?
• What happens when they die?
• What are the devices and how do they work?
• Are there language barriers?
• What is the Ingress?
• Are there NPCs?
• What do the characters do in Thisavrou?
• Resurge (death).
• Restore (replacements).
• Refresh (canon update).
• Is there a currency?
• Does my character have a certain job?
• Where does a character live?
• Can characters start a business?
• Can my character receive any items from home?
• Can my have children? What if they are already pregnant?
⋆ APPLYING ⋆
• How do reserves work?
• What kind of characters are accepted?
• Can I app a character who is in the game already?
• Can I app a non-human character?
• Can my character come in with their pets or children?
• What items do characters come in with?
• Can I app a character with little background?
• Can I app two characters from the same canon?
• What are the policies on new canons?
• If characters are canonically dead or injured, what happens?
• What if my character is a ghost? A hologram? A computer?
• What if my character is immortal?
• How do re-apps work?
• How many characters can I app at a time?
• How many characters can I play in the game?
• What are the activity requirements?
• Is there a strike system?
• Are there power restrictions?
• Can I recycle an old application?
• How often are application cycles?
• What about the Test Drive Meme?
• What kind of events are there?
⋆ OOC INFORMATION ⋆
• Are the mods anon?
• What is the rating of this game?
• Is there a game plurk?
• What are the age limits?
• What are the communities?
• Can characters have IC inboxes?
• Is there a game calendar?
• What if I need to drop? What happens to dropped characters?
• Fourthwalling, yes or no?
• What if I need to take a hiatus?
⋆ Where are they?
They are on the space station Avagi. Once, it was known as the Ingress Complex: a scientific center and the transit hub to other worlds via the Ingress, a vast and not fully knowable device with the power to act as a door to other worlds and hold back storms of negative, life-twisting energy. It became a refuge when an act of sabotage destroyed the Ingress and released the storm on the planets orbiting it. While signs exist of previous inhabitants, only their group of travelers currently occupy the accessible area of Avagi.
Exploration of other worlds is the game's central focal point, along with research and private excursions into foreign worlds. In the current arc, characters do not have full control over where they are able to travel, but this could change with time and effort.
The universe is a strange place and player characters are caught up in uncharted territory. Exploration and cooperation remain a key part of the game’s mechanic and as such your character will need to work together with their companions in order to weather the storm that is beating upon them from all sides. Getting home is a complicated process, one that will have to be worked towards as a group even as they explore the mysteries of their new home.
⋆ Why are they there?
During the game’s first arc, characters were pulled onto the Moira through a malfunctioning Ingress, and working together, crew were on a course to the Midway Hub, the place that the ship had originated from. After over a year of travel, they finally reached their destination and were eventually greeted by people from Thisavrou. The twin planets were surrounded by a dark and impenetrable storm.
Conflict arose between many of the recent arrivals and the Savrii citizens, as well as the Intermediaries who maintained peace on the planet through mental manipulation of those they deemed too disruptive. A mysterious alien entity known as Mother took advantage of this conflict to forge an alliance with the travelers...only to turn on them and destroy the Ingress. Portals of shattered energy opened beneath the travelers, transporting them 300 years into Thisavrou's future—for the Ingress was always able to reach through time as well as space.
⋆ What happens when characters first arrive?
Characters will feel a sense of falling without gravity and a sense of extreme disorientation before awakening in Avagi's Ingress Memorial. Low-level AI taskbots (think slightly more intelligent Roombas) have been programmed to detect the blossoming of Ingress energy that heralds new arrivals, and attempt to present them with a proximity-triggered playback explaining where they are and how an uncontrollable warp in reality brought them here. The taskbots will then lead newcomers to the stockpile of Avagi Communication Extensions (ACE) so they can more easily communicate with others who live here. Due to the taskbots' limits, new players may also assume that the taskbots were unable to reach their characters in time if they wish to play out a more freeform arrival.
⋆ What is Thisavrou like?
See more over on the Locations Page.
⋆ Are characters alive or dead?
Both.
Characters can enter the game as dead or alive. This means that characters who were killed in canon can come in post-death and be fine. Characters who are ghosts, vampires, etc. can come in as they are.
⋆ Can characters leave?
There is no known way of purposely returning home. Occasionally (when players drop), the Ingress energy that brought them here will show itself unexpectedly, swirling around a character who then disappears—though no one knows for sure where to. Additionally, at regular intervals, energy portals to other worlds open up, giving characters a chance to explore, investigate and possibly achieve certain goals. But in the end, if they do not return to Avagi before those portals closed, they will be marooned on that world forever.
⋆ What happens when they die?
They are resurged. The process is explained more on the linked page, but it is the OOC way for you to apply for a character death. It is discussed between yourself and the mods how you want the character to die, what they will trade for the death, and how they will return; be it with physical or mental changes.
⋆ What are the devices and how do they work?
The current communicators in use are the Avagi Communication Extensions. They allow characters to communicate via text/audio/video. Each unit is a functional wrist- (or badge-) mounted communicator that projects a holo-screen and keyboard for text, voice, and video transmissions. It also contains basic privacy functions to lock a call to individuals or groups. An ACE also contains maps/schematics of the space station, emergency distress features, and a GPS function. The ACE is under active development by technologically-inclined characters and is subject to updates.
⋆ Are there language barriers?
Yes and no. When your character arrives, they are given their ACE, which is used for communication. With the ACE in your character’s possession, translation of most known languages will occur automatically. However, if the ACE is lost or not on your character’s person at some point, then languages your character normally wouldn’t know continue to remain unknown to them. Additionially, characters may travel to a world where the language is rudimentary or unknown, where it would be stated that your character won't understand the natives. Otherwise, it is general knowledge that everyone your character comes in contact with can understand them and vice versa as long as they have the ACE.
⋆ What was the Ingress?
The technology was complex, but was essentially a way to pull items, organic and otherwise, from one point to the next. Originally, the Ingress was created to allow for easier space travel between worlds, and later become a way to move between universes and timelines. The Ingress machine was destroyed at the conclusion of the game's second arc, but the energy it harnessed appears to have lingered, uncontrollable yet strangely helpful at times.
⋆ Are there NPCs?
At this time, characters appear to be alone on Avagi. NPCs will sometimes exist on the worlds they get to visit.
⋆ What do the characters do in Thisavrou?
Survive and explore.
Despite the looming threat of the storms outside, Avagi is a livable home, if not a spacious or especially comfortable one. By visiting other worlds through portals of Ingress energy, characters can gain resources to improve their home base, learn how other worlds use Ingress energy and perhaps find a way to control the doors it opens to other universes.
Do you want to go home? Then it's best to cooperate.
⋆ Resurge (death).
The death page.
Resurgence is the term used ICly for when your character dies and is brought back. It requires a physical, mental or emotional effect, which can be dramatic or more lighthearted. Planning is done OOC through a screened comment on the above linked page, and the outcome of your character's death will be discussed privately. You can then use the information to post a log or network entry, inform close CR, or let it sit for a later time.
Previously, one of the Moira ship captains and then later, medical personnel were responsible for this. Currently, the specific mechanic of resurgence has not yet been revealed to the characters. If you would like your character to die and be the first to reveal the new mechanic, please visit the request page. (This will not obligate you to participate in an extensive plot.)
⋆ Refresh (canon update).
The canon update page.
Characters "refresh" by falling into a comatose state during which they will be placed in a cryogenic pod to maintain life functions. The process lasts three days, after which they will awaken and emerge from the pod, having apparently returned to their world and lived there without memories of Thisavrou despite not appearing to leave.
⋆ Is there a currency?
Yes. A currency known as sencs was once used on Thisavrou. Characters may possess or come across sencs, but they are now a relic. Characters will have to barter for or burgle what they want.
⋆ Does my character have a certain job?
Characters are not currently obligated to take on specific jobs or community roles, but may choose to do so.
⋆ Where does a character live?
Much of the original Ingress Complex was repurposed to serve as a residential block. Please see the housing page for details on living space and to sign up for a location.
⋆ Can a character start a business?
Yes. While there is no standard currency, characters are free to offer services or wares they can provide in exchange for a payment of some kind. If you would like assistance or have questions on how to go about this, please contact the mod team and we'll be happy to help.
⋆ Can my character receive any items from home?
Not at this time—but this is subject to change.
⋆ Can my character have children? What if they are already pregnant?
Characters who are pregnant at their canon point will find this is no longer the case upon arrival. There is no sign of miscarriage; they are simply no longer pregnant. We suggest apping from a canon point where they are not pregnant or not aware of a pregnancy, but if this is unavoidable and you do not wish to play out any ensuing distress, please contact the mod team and we may be able to arrange accommodations, such as memory alteration.
Once on board, characters will find that a variety of forms of birth control are available in the Medical Wing, either left behind by Avagi's former residents (and still effective!), synthesized onboard or brought from other worlds. Characters are not ICly forced to use any of it, but the game does not allow pregnancy plots—this is to provide a plausible IC explanation.
⋆ How do reserves work?
Reserves are open for one week prior to applications. We allow one reserve per player. If multiple reserves are submitted for one character, only the first will count. While reserves are not required to apply for a character, they guarantee first consideration. If a character is reserved, no other applications will be accepted for that character for the first five days of an app cycle. At that point, the reserve will expire, and anyone may apply.
⋆ What kind of characters are accepted?
Canon, original, canon AU, CRAU, and player-created protagonists (MMO's and Tabletop). Fandom OCs are also accepted; however, they cannot have any attachment to canon characters. For example, Sarah Smith will not be accepted if she is listed as Bob Smith's daughter, and Bob Smith had no awareness of Sarah's existence in canon. We aren't accepting player created AU's at this time. If you are curious, just ask us and we'll let you know. We try to consider all points of view to determine if a character will be allowed in.
⋆ Can I app a character who is in the game already?
Yes; as long as there aren't already two versions in-game. For example, a canon version of Bob Smith and a canon AU version of Bob Smith are acceptable. Two canon versions of Bob Smith or two canon AU versions of Bob Smith are not. It can be any combination of the three (canon, canon AU, CRAU).
There are allowed two versions of each character in a medium. For example, a CRAU and a canon Bob Smith from Comics and a CRAU and a canon Bob Smith from a T.V. show.
With CRAUs, it is a case-by-case basis; however, we are mainly looking for a substantial difference in history which results in a significant change in personality.
⋆ Can I app a non-human character?
Yes; as long as they can fit through the Ingress. Large characters (e.g. most Transformers) are fine, but you wouldn't be able to app a Reaper from Mass Effect in its default state of massive squiddly glory. If you have interest in such a character, or would prefer not to deal with the inconveniences of your character's usual form, you may choose to humanize them. This requires that you add an additional section to your application: detailing the human form, summarizing any appearance alterations, and linking an icon that shows them in this human shape.
⋆ Can my character come in with their pets or children?
Pets are allowed, children are case-by-case; contact us on the Feedback Page. It must be noted in the application if your character is coming in with a pet. Pets can have vague personality traits, happy dog or sad cat, but nothing specific or that hints that the pet could be apped on its own.
⋆ What items do characters come in with?
Whatever is on them at their canon point; all items must be noted in the application as specifically as possible. Jewelry, clothing, anything and everything that is physically on their person.
⋆ Can I app a character with little background?
This is a case-by-case basis. There must be a larger ratio of canon versus headcanon. Otherwise, it crosses into the realm of an original character, and the mods have to approve any characters like this.
⋆ Can I app two characters from the same canon?
Only if they have had absolutely no interaction and would not ever in canon. This even refers to other canon characters mentioning them. If you have two characters and you are curious if you can app them both, shoot us a pm. There's no harm in asking.
⋆ What are the policies on applying for characters from new canons?
One month from its U.S. release date for films. One week for refreshing canons (i.e., TV shows).
⋆ If characters are canonically dead or injured, what happens?
Generally, they arrive fresh. It doesn't matter if a character comes into the game from a canon point where they are dead or were horribly injured. The Ingress energy can bring them in restored. Note on your application if [you would like] your character [to] have any physical effects that the Ingress wouldn't have fixed for them. Scars, wounds, etc.
⋆ What if my character is a ghost? A hologram? A computer?
When the Ingress pulls a character through, it returns their body to a good condition. For a ghost, they would be restored to when they were alive, and then enter the game in that state. That doesn't take away any of their abilities, or what they could do as a ghost, just that they have a solid form that can be used.
For an AI, it would be similar. If someone wishes to app a character that doesn't have a body and is on a datachip, they have a few options. They could be provided with a synthetic body during processing. They could be humanized, as with the "very large characters" above. Or they could remain as a projection only. That said, if you want your character to be embodied or otherwise changed, please note as much in your app with as much detail as possible. You can also contact us beforehand to work out any unique solutions.
⋆ What if my character is immortal?
They remain immortal. They do not age and are bound within the realms of their canon. For example, if your character is a vampire that does not physically age but can be killed by a wooden stake through the heart, then that remains the same for them in-game.
For vampires and other similar characters, there are a few things to note. Thisavrou has no sun or moon, subsisting off the light of the Ingress. That said, travel may expose your character to a variety of suns, moons, stars, or planets, and if they are canonically affected by any of those, they still would be. When it comes to infecting another character, that is up to the other player. If both players are on board, a character can be affected. Any alterations to a character's body will be reset back to its original if the character is resurged. This change (the vampire bite turning a character) wouldn't count as a character death, and would not itself require resurging.
There are medical facilities on Thisavrou with many different machines and items that will be available to characters that need alternate means of nutrition. If your character requires something specific, please put it in the app; Thisavrou's techs will do everything they can to accommodate their new visitors. (If they need live sources, it can be arranged, etc.)
⋆ How do re-apps work?
Players must apply in the usual way. If they wish for the character to retain their in-game memories, they should include a rundown of their previous time in the game, noting any significant experiences and explaining how it affected (or didn't affect) their personality and development.
⋆ How many characters can I app at a time?
One per app cycle.
⋆ How many characters can I play in the game?
Three total. Contact mods if you want to app more than that. Be prepared to provide proof of your activity to show us that you can handle another character.
⋆ What are the activity requirements?
Any of the below counts as a valid activity proof:
5 comments from your character in a log
10 comments in a network thread
15 comments from an IC inbox thread
1 open network or log post
Check out the latest activity check for specific details or examples.
⋆ Is there a strike system?
If life interferes unexpectedly, players are allowed to request a strike instead of presenting linked activity or a hiatus proof. However, striking characters will be required to present double activity the next month, and if a strike is required on two consecutive months, they will be dropped from the game. The same can apply if a character appears to be abusing the strike system (e.g. striking every other month), though there's no penalty for asking-- feel free to contact us if you have concerns.
⋆ Are there power restrictions?
No, but don't break the game. With any potentially game-breaking plots, contact the moderators first. We don't want to discourage powerful characters from doing what is normal for them to do, but we have to keep the game as equal as we can for all characters. Just hit us up and we'll discuss it.
⋆ Can I recycle an old application?
Yes, but you must have one new in-game sample and have updated the rest with any new information.
⋆ How often are application cycles?
As of May, applications are back to a monthly cycle! The application period consists of the last week of every month, with reserves opening the week prior.
⋆ What about the Test Drive Meme?
Test Drive Memes go up one week before apps open, the same day that reserves open. Please check the calendar for exact dates.
⋆ What kind of events are there?
They primarily consist of on-Avagi events, which could stem from IC actions or conflicts, strange effects caused by Ingress energy or other things; and world travel, where the specifics of the events depend on the nature of the world. Characters may encounter peaceful worlds where they can enjoy themselves, harsher worlds with numerous dangers, or worlds that are simply bizarre. In terms of genre, the game ranges from fluff to horror, with a general focus on survival, exploration, and cooperative elements. Players may suggest ideas for events or run their own game-wide events with the approval of the mods. Please see the plotting page.
⋆ Are the mods anon?
They aren’t! All the mod information can be located on the Feedback Page.
⋆ What is the rating of this game?
PG-13 by default, but all content is allowed. Players are required to mark all logs and posts with appropriate warnings.
⋆ Is there a game plurk?
⋆ What are the age limits?
All players must be sixteen or older.
⋆ What are the communities?
thisavrou |
⋆ Can characters have IC inboxes?
They do and can be used for activity. Players are asked to link their IC contact post when replying to the housing page.
⋆ Is there a game calendar?
Yes, and it can be found over here.
⋆ What if I need to drop? What happens to dropped characters?
Please post to the drop page. Dropped characters are presumed to have disappeared through the Ingress portals. If a character is auto-dropped due to AC (as opposed to on the drop page), the player in question may not re-apply for the character during the subsequent round.
⋆ Fourthwalling, yes or no?
All players must be onboard.
⋆ What if I need to take a hiatus?
You apply on the hiatus page. For a hiatus, your character will be in cryo in the medbay or can be on auto-pilot for that period of time.